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The Metropolitan Police said the woman was walking home from Barking station along Loxford Road when she was attacked and her shoulder bag was stolen.

Mr Singh, who had apparently seen the attack, then chased the men along Victoria Road and into Uphall Road, where he was stabbed at about 6.40pm on Friday.

Detective Inspector John Sandlin said: "This is a tragic death of a man who was killed for attempting to stop others committing crime.

"I am appealing for anyone that knows who committed this crime, or who has any information about those who committed this crime, to do the right thing and come forward and contact police."

Mr Sandlin also urged anyone who had seen the robbery, the following altercation or people fleeing the area to come forward.

"It is also possible that the suspects may have abandoned the bag stolen, and I appeal to anyone who may find a brown leather shoulder bag to contact police," he added.

Mr Singh had lived in the UK for around 10 years, the police said. He had cousins in Barking but his child lived in India.

Mr Sandlin said Mr Singh was not connected to the woman who was robbed. Speaking near the scene, in a residential area near Barking station, the detective said: "What Mr Singh did was obviously very brave but I would not encourage that members of the public do that.

"What I would encourage members of the public to do is tell police what they have seen, to contact us immediately," he said, adding: "An active line of inquiry at the moment is to find out why Mr Singh was in this location."

Mohammad Jubran, 22, who lives in Victoria Road, said: "I was just coming back from the gym and, when I got home, my mum said she heard someone screaming, calling out 'Don't let them run.'

"It's terrible. I've been living here for 16 years and it's the first time I have heard someone has been murdered. It makes you more scared about going outside at night. It was a brave thing he did."

A 36-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, said the roads near the station were well-lit at night but added: "There are quite a lot of robberies around here because it's quite secluded and there is a bridge by the station so people can run to the other side quickly. But I have never heard of anything like this. It's a shock – I hope they catch whoever did it."

A post mortem examination was due to take place at Queen's Hospital, Romford, yesterday afternoon. Police have declined to say which part of the body Mr Singh was stabbed in or how many wounds he received.